‘Don’t do rona dhona’: Bombay Shaving Company CEO advises freshers to work 18 hours a day

Bombay Shaving Company founder and CEO Shantanu Deshpande has advised freshers to work "18 hours a day for at least 4-5 years" of their initial career. In his LinkedIn post he also advised new comers to work hard instead of looking for work-life balance and told them to not "do random rona-dhona (cribbing)".

Deshpande said that when you are 22 and new in your job, throw yourself into it.

"Eat well and stay fit, but put in the 18 hour days for at least 4-5 years," he advised.


"I see a LOT of youngsters who watch random content all over and convince themselves that 'work life balance, spending time with family, rejuvenation bla bla' is important. It is, but not that early," Deshpande said.

"Don't do random rona-dhona. Take it on the chin and be relentless. You will be way better for it," he added.


The LinkedIn post has triggered severe criticism on social media, with users slamming Bombay Shaving Company CEO for promoting a "toxic work culture".

"People like you are why workers are quitting in droves. You and your business deserve to crash and burn," one LinkedIn user replied.

"In a generation of knowledge workers I wonder when we will stop equating hours with output/results. It's not an industrial revolution anymore with factory workers," another posted.

A Twitter user said: "Why stop at 18? Why not work 24 or 48 hours straight and build even more 'flex'? That way, you won't even have to take it just on your chin, but on your entire body and mind too."


After facing the criticism, he later wrote that "so much hate for 18 hour days" but "it's a proxy for 'giving your all and then some'".

"For those wondering about culture at BSC (Bombay Shaving Company), feel free to come any time or talk to any of our people",a he added.